Love on the Range
by SashaLovesJacob
Summary: Bella is single/living alone when a lone rider somes calling for work at her ranch. Who is this stranger? Who will he become to her?
1. Prologue

**Summary: Bella is single/living alone when a lone rider somes calling for work at her ranch. Who is this stranger? Who will he become to her?**

**Pairing: Bella/Jake**

**Rating M for lemons, mild violence, and language**

**Genre: Western, Romance**

**Name of Beta: Mist**

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**~LotR~**

**Love on the Range**

**Prologue**

**My Stranger**

Bella sat in a chair off to the side as she watched her stranger dancing with her little niece, Renesmee, and she smiled. He was so dreamy! She couldn't help, but think that way of him. He was very sweet and kind to her. He treated her like an equal which was very hard to find in that small country town.

Bella watched as he twirled the ten-year old with a small smile on his face. He looked at her and winked, knowing she had been watching him. She blushed and stared down at her lap for a minute, contemplating whether to look up or not.

She finally looked up and saw him kneeling in front of Ness, whispering to her. She gave a simple nod and galloped to her friends. He smiled and stood up, walking towards Bella.

"Hello, stranger." She gave him a kind smile as he took a seat next to her.

"Well, hello, ma'am." His country accent was thick and sent a chill down her spine. His voice was so distinct and pure.

"She is a good dancer, my niece." He chuckled and tipped his hat gently before resting his arm on the back of her chair.

"She is a little cute, too, huh?" Bella nodded, a little jealous of the attention he gave her niece.

"Well, she will be a heart breaker when she is older, for sure." He nodded and looked at her.

"Dance with me?" That was sudden, but she was nervous. He wanted to dance? With her?

"I can't dance." He chuckled and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him to the dance floor. She could see the other single women giving her mean looks. They all had their eyes on him, but he only had eyes for her.

He pulled her to him and wrapped one arm around her waist while the other grabbed her hand. Her arm went up his shoulder and she smiled at him. He grinned back as she blushed, looking over to see her parent's engrossed in a conversation. They were never this close. It seemed lately that her father had grown some resentment towards her mother, but she didn't understand it.

"What's wrong?" He could see the concentration on her face and she turned back to him, shaking her head.

"Nothing. It's nothing." He reached out for her hips and lifted her up onto his feet, making her giggle. Her arms went around his neck as he held into her waist.

"See? Anyone can dance." She laughed heartedly.

"Trust me. I can't dance. I usually stub someone's toe." He chuckled and smiled down at her.

"Well, it's good I have toes of steel." She giggled and beamed up at him.

They danced for hours just like that and laughed in conversation. They talked about everything and nothing at all.

After they danced, they got some food and then started their long travel back to the ranch. After arriving, he made his way to his hut towards the back of the ranch and she made it into her house. She took a bath to wash off the grime of the day's work. She laid there and thought of her worker stranger.

She had never had feelings for any of the guys who had showed an interesting in her and now she had feelings for one who didn't show an interest.

She heard a knock on the door and got out of the water, pulling on her night gown. She went to the front door and opened it, gasping.

He stood in front of her. Her stranger.

He took slow steps towards her and she backed up from the intense desire in his eyes. His eyes glowed, even. He was like a lion about to pounce his prey. She leaned against her table when she hit the edge. He stopped in front of her, leaning his face down towards her.

"Bella," his whispered her name as he took in her scent. She smelled so good to him. She was panting now from his closeness. Her lids became heavy from the lust for him that coursed through her.

"Jacob," she finally spoke his name. His lips barely hovered over hers as his hands moved up her thighs, moving her to sit on the table. He spread her thighs with his monstrous, callous hands and lightly moved his hips against hers through her nightgown.

"You want me, too." He didn't ask because her shaky voice gave him that answer.

"Yes." She breathed. His lips pressed against hers and she felt an intense flutter in her stomach from what she was finally given after knowing him for what felt like such a long time.

**Thank you everyone for reading this and I would like to thank Mist for beta'ing for me. Please, leave me some feedback. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 1: Greetings

**Summary: Bella is single/living alone when a lone rider somes calling for work at her ranch. Who is this stranger? Who will he become to her?**

**Pairing: Bella/Jake**

**Rating M for lemons, mild violence, and language**

**Genre: Western, Romance**

**Name of Beta: Mist**

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**~LotR~**

**Love on the Range**

**Chapter One**

**Three Months Earlier:**

Bella slowly climbed out of bed when the sun peaked through her window. She always loved the sun. It brightened her day, literally and figuratively. She quickly got dressed in her freshly washed work clothes and made herself a quick breakfast of eggs.

Bella was so used to being alone, but that did not keep the men from town from calling for her. They all had asked her hand in marriage, but she denied them all. None of them were what she was looking for. She was looking for something special. She wanted a love to last a life time, not a man that would treat her as property.

All women were to men was property and she wanted no part of that. She could see that all men saw girls like that. She wouldn't be your average woman. She refused.

She walked outside and untied her horse and saddled him up before climbing on. She rode out to the chicken coop. She tied back up her horse and then she saw a rider approaching from the direction of town. She put her hand above her eyes to block the sun and couldn't make out the person on the horse. She walked into the chicken coop and pulled up her black apron to hold the eggs she would collect from the chickens.

She was about to pick out an egg when she saw it move by itself. She knew it was going to hatch so she left it alone for the mother hen to take care of her young. She moved on and continued grabbing eggs.

"Hello?" She heard a husky voice and turned her head to see a young man standing before her in chaps, a button up flannel, boots, and a black hat.

"Yes?" He looked a little shocked by her and she didn't understand how.

"You're Isabella Swan, ma'am?" She nodded and picked more eggs from the hen's nests.

"Why do you seek me, stranger?" He gave her a smile as she continued about her work.

"Ma'am, I'm Jacob Black. I heard in town that you were in need of some hired help." She gave him a sideways glance and sighed.

"Now, why would someone tell you a thing like that?" He lightly chuckled.

"I am a drifter, ma'am. I go from place to place working one job or another until something pulls me away from that place." She knew what this meant. She knew he was really saying, 'until I get tired of the place.' She rolled her eyes and walked over to her basket to carry the eggs in. She gently placed each egg in it.

"Why would I want to hire a drifter like you, Mr. Black?" He was a little shocked by how harsh her tone was, but answered anyways. He needed a job and she was his only option.

"I am a very hard worker and can do just about anything you need, ma'am." Bella nodded and sighed, fearing she would regret this decision.

"Okay, Mr. Black." He grinned at her and she picked up the basket, steadying it on her hip, as she walked towards him and then past him. He followed beside her. "When the sun is high in the sky, I take some of my food that has been picked and made to town to sell. I will give you 10% for helping out, Mr. Black, however long you are here. You can stay in the hut in the back of my property if you like and I will provide your meals. That is all I can offer you. If you don't like it, tough." He was still shocked by how she talked to him, but nodded. He would not disrespect her.

"Thank you, Ma'am. You won't regret this." His accent was thick and strong. She nodded.

"I hope so." He walked with her back to the house and he pulled helped her wash the eggs she had gathered. He placed them gently into a crate with straw around them to protect them from getting damaged. They filled up an entire crate in a matter of minutes.

She had never had any hired help so she was surprised by how fast he was. Maybe he would be good to have around.

"You are quite fast." He nodded and tipped his hat to her.

"Well, thank you, ma'am." She giggled and they went to their horses after placing the crate in the bed of an old wagon.

"Now, to the fruit, Mr. Black." He nodded and they rode out to the fruit trees. They picked plums, cherries, different berries, and grapes. They packed up everything in crates after washing them and connected both horses to the wagon. Jacob took a seat next to Bella as she directed the horses to town.

They made small talk, but it didn't go much of anywhere. They made it to town and set out a few crates. Jacob was surprised when half the town showed up to buy things from Bella. She sold loaves of bread, the fruit, and some other things she had made. She even sold a pie that he regretted to see her bring with them.

After they finished, they got back in the wagon with them empty crates and about a pound of gold and silver pieces and directed the horses back to Bella's property.

"How can you make so much food for the town?" She shrugged, reluctantly answering.

"Well, I am one of the few who produces fruit and bread in the town. Only a few make food so we all make a good living off of it. There is very little competition." He nodded and they made it back to the ranch.

"Okay." He responded with a smile. She was confused by his kindness. She was hoping to scare him off, but apparently it wasn't going to work. He was very sweet and kind to her. She wondered why.

"Why are you so nice to me? I have been nothing, but mean to you since you arrived at my ranch." He shrugged.

"I was raised to treat those the way you wish to be treated. I guess it stuck. Why do you treat me the way you do?" She sighed and got out of the wagon, pulling out the crates.

"It's a long story. It has nothing to do with you, though." That was only a half-truth. It didn't have anything to do with him, but only for who he was deep down. It had to do with him because he was a drifter.

She shied away from thoughts of why she had been treateding him that way.

"Could you please start on fixing the broken slates over here while I do some laundry?" He nodded with another kind smile. He went over to the fence after grabbing the right supplies. She went to her small bucket after filling it with water and sat near him with a basket of laundry. She dumped a shirt in the water and grabbed her washing board, placing it in the bucket. She pulled out her soap and rubbed it over the shirt, rubbing it up and down the shirt that was on the washing board.

"So, are you going to tell me that long story, Isabella?" She sighed and continued her washing.

"It's Bella. Not Isabella." He nodded and gave her smile while he pulled off the slate that was broken and started to put up one that was new.

"Okay, Bella."

"I-I was not very old when my grandfather bought this ranch." She sighed and he could see the hurt on her face while she worked. She rung out the shirt and quickly hung it on the clothing line with pins. "My mother was very young at the old ranch in Ozette. My family had to leave because of what my father had done." She grabbed a pair of pants and put them in the bucket, repeating what she had done with the shirt.

"My father was had begun to work for my grandfather in Ozette and my mother and him fell in love. They weren't together for a few months before he disclosed to her what he had been before her.

"My father was a drifter. He picked up his stuff and left with only a note to tell her the truth when she was pregnant with me. They weren't married so my mother was called some terrible names. She was called a whore and I was the bastard child of a drifter. My father destroyed my mother's reputation. If he had stayed, it might have been different, but it wasn't.

"When I was still a small child, my mother, my grandparents, and I moved to this small ranch. This ranch is all I know.

"On my mother's death bed, she told me the truth and I thought drifters didn't deserve a second look after that." She looked up at him and he gave her a sad smile.

"I'm sorry about your father, Bella. No man should ever do that." She nodded and sighed.

"My exact thought, stranger." He chuckled and they continued to work. "So, I told you my story. What is yours?" He smiled and started to work on the next slat that was broken.

"Well, I grew up in a small town and, when I was fifteen, my mother and father contracted tuberculosis." She flinched and nodded.

"That is what my mother died of." They both shared a sad smile and then went back to what they were doing.

"Well, my parents died of it and I had no brothers or sisters so I left. I had no family at all over there so now here I am." He chuckled and she nodded, blushed a little.

"I'm guessing you don't have anyone special." He shook his head, grinning at her.

"Haven't met anyone that has caught my eye." She nodded and he knelt down when he finished the slats, watching her. "Do you?" She was confused.

"Do I what?" He laughed.

"Have anyone special." She shook her head while she finished up the last piece of laundry.

"Haven't seen anyone that has caught my eye." They both shared a laugh and got up. They went into her house and she made them both a cup of coffee for their hard day of work. "We both need a break. It's been a long day." He nodded.

"Why aren't you married?" She looked at him surprised and he took it as if she was offended.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head, a small smile on her face and a flush across her cheeks.

"Don't be. I have had a few offers, but they aren't what I need in a husband. When my Prince Charming comes riding in on his white horse, you will be the first that I let know." He barked out a laugh.

"Sure, sure. You let me know and I'll beat him off with a stick." She giggled and shook her head.

"You're not as vile as I thought you were, stranger." He nodded, grinning at her.

"Thank you, ma'am." With their coffee in hand, they went out to the porch and sat in the porch swing. "What are you looking for?" She shrugged and he laughed. "Come on. You can tell me. You never know. I might be that Prince Charming." He winked at her and she laughed with him.

"I want someone who will treat me as an equal and not property." He nodded understandingly.

"That seems plausible." She nodded.

"I don't understand how some people can handle their husbands treating them like garbage. I won't have that. I'll know a good suitor when I see him, stranger." He chuckled.

"Did you forget my name already, Bella?" She face palmed herself and giggled.

"Sorry. I'll stop calling you that, Jacob." He chuckled and shook his head.

"It's quite alright. You can call me that if you want. I was just teasing you. You need to loosen up a bit, Bella." She nodded.

"I have heard that a bit." He laughed and grinned again.

"You are alright, Bella. You are a pretty nice gal." She giggled and blushed at him.

"You aren't that bad either, stranger." He smiled as they watched the sun slowly set, drinking their coffee in pure silence.

**Leave some feedback. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 2: Admitting

**Summary: Bella is single/living alone when a lone rider somes calling for work at her ranch. Who is this stranger? Who will he become to her?**

**Pairing: Bella/Jake**

**Rating M for lemons, mild violence, and language**

**Genre: Western, Romance**

**Name of Beta: Mist**

**Disclaimer:** **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**~LotR~**

**Love on the Range**

**Chapter Two**

**Admitting**

Bella sat in a small room of her friend Emily's house. She, Emily Uley, Rachel Lahote, and Stefanie Littlesea sat in the living room with cups of coffee and a bunch of children running around.

Jacob had been working for Bella for a week and they had become great friends. They had a lot in common and he became very comfortable around her and opened up. She found that she liked this stranger, more than she should.

"Bella, honey, why don't you settle down?" Bella smiled at Emily. Emily had a kind heart. She wanted the best for everyone and believed everyone can be better. She thought of Bella as a daughter.

"I haven't found anyone right, yet. I will one day, but not now." Emily smiled kindly at Bella as Sam, her husband, walked in with Jacob behind him. Jacob and Bella's eyes widened in sync with each other and they smiled.

"Hey, stranger. What are you doing here?" He shrugged and grinned wider at her.

"Just met Sam in town, ma'am." He tipped his hat and she blushed, nodding.

"It's good that you made a friend beside me, Jacob." He nodded and said 'howdy' to all the ladies before following Sam into the kitchen for a sandwich.

"Who is that?" Stefanie asked with enthusiasm.

"Jacob Black, he is the help at my ranch. He is a drifter." Emily nodded, but Rachel wanted more.

"If I wasn't happily married, I would be after that fine man like white on rice. He is physical perfection, Bella. Why aren't you after that?" Bella shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.

"He's not my type, ladies." They all scoffed and laughed out loud other than Bella and Emily.

"He is your type, Bella. You two would look so good together. You two would make such beautiful children, too." Bella blushed and bowed her head, taking a deep breath.

"Yo-you really think so?" They all rolled their eyes, including Emily, excluding Bella.

"We know so."

**~LotR~**

Jake sat at the kitchen table as he heard laughter in the living room. He had a feeling they were laughing at him. He made his crush on Bella way too obvious. He knew it and he made a fool of himself.

"God, that was terrible." Sam laughed and sat down with a sandwich while Jake sat off to the side.

"That was not as bad as it could have been, Jacob."

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jacob thought. "They are laughing at me." Sam's eyes widened and he laughed.

"No, they are not. Jacob, you don't know Bella or her friends very well. We don't really talk about it much around here, but since you are new, I will tell you.

"Since Bella became of age, guys have been practically begging at her doorstep for marriage. Some are less forth coming about it. I'm not blind, Jacob. Every guy knows she is the most beautiful woman in town and the sweetest, but she is flawed.

"Bella, she won't look men in the eye for more than a moment. She won't look at me or any other guy. Maybe it's something inside her, but today, I saw something I have never seen before. Maybe she can't look at normal guys, but maybe she sees you." Jake grinned, but Sam shook his head. "God, you have been bitten." Jacob was confused.

"Bitten, sir?" Sam rolled his eyes.

"Bitten by love, as we call it around here. Bella is like a daughter to me and she obviously cares for you, but I warn you, don't hurt her and don't hurt yourself." Jacob was confused, again.

"Hurt myself, sir?"

"Jacob, Bella is a heartbreaker. Not by intention, but by nature. She has an image of her perfect man and for all we know you could be it, but if not, she will break your heart slowly." Jake nodded and sighed.

"I'll make sure to guard myself. I have never really been interested romantically before so I don't know what to do." Sam knew Jacob needed a lot of advice.

"Court to her. Ask her to go out with you somewhere. There is a beginning of the season festival tonight. Ask her out to there." Jacob nodded and smiled.

"Thank you, sir." He shook his head.

"Just Sam, Jacob. No need to be formal here." Jacob nodded.

"Alright, Sam. Thank you for your help." They shook hands and had a small conversation. Emily walked in with the coffee cups and put them in the sink, quickly cleaning them before placing them on a towel on the counter. Sam smiled at her happily. He was glad that he had asked her hand in marriage. She was just too perfect for him.

Bella walked in and glanced at Jacob before waltzing over to Emily.

"Let me help you, Emily." Emily nodded and Bella dried them after Emily washed them. Emily and Sam left after a minute, leaving Bella and Jacob alone. Jacob was nervous. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to ask to court to her? He had never done that before. She was his boss after all.

"Let me help you, Bella." She nodded and gave Jacob a kind smile before handing him a towel to dry the dishes. After the cups, they continued drying other dishes, unsure of what to really say.

"How did you meet Sam?"Jacob shrugged as he dried the last bowl. Bella started to put away the dishes.

"At the saloon. I was getting a drink and he said he needed some help with some stuff out back so I offered a hand. He said he needed to fix his fence when he got home." Bella nodded, a little jealous of anyone wanting to be around Jacob for any reason. She had never felt so possessive over anyone before, not even after her mother married and had her sister, Maggie. That was only time she thought she could ever possibly be possessive, but this showed that there was other situation where she wanted to keep someone to herself.

She was glad that Jacob was making friends and getting some roots in Bastrop. She hoped maybe he would stay for a long time, but she had no idea if he would. She couldn't stop herself from wishing. She loved having him around. He was fun to be around and he made her laugh. No one could make her laugh before Jacob came to town.

"It's good that you are making friends." He nodded, then shrugged.

"You're all the friends I need, Bella." She felt butterflies in her stomach and smiled at him.

"Thanks, stranger." He chuckled, she blushed. She turned to him and there was a moment of silence.

"Umm, maybe you should go help Sam now. He is probably wondering where you are." Jacob cleared his throat and nodded.

"See ya later, Ma'am."With that he tipped his hat and walked out of the room. Bella took a deep breath and sighed.

How was she supposed to control herself from blurting out how she felt to him? He was a drifter. She would be nothing to him. They traveled around. Did she expect him to ask her to come with him? No, she didn't. Drifters traveled alone.

She could never marry him. She could never have children with him. She couldn't have a life with him so she should just stop herself from feeling how she did.

She went back into the sitting area of the house.

**~LotR~**

Jacob picked up and brought the broken slats to a fire pit that Sam had made up while the questions started.

"Did you talk to her?"He sighed, Sam concentrated on the new slats.

"Yes."

"Well, did you ask her?"

"No, Sam, I didn't." Sam groaned while he started hammering on the slats.

"Why not? Don't you like her?" Jacob nodded with a grin as he continued tossing in the broken pieces of wood that were in a pile a few feet away from him into the fire-y pit.

"Yeah. I mean, she is unbelievable. She is so sweet and nice and funny. I like her a lot. I have never felt this way about anyone." Sam smiled kindly at Jacob while he worked on a slat that didn't want to stay on.

"Then ask her. That is where it all starts. I asked Emily and look at where we are now. You could be where we are in three years, but it starts with taking a step, Jacob." Jacob gulped lightly, looking down at his feet.

He was a drifter. He had no idea if he would be there in three years. He had no idea how long he would be there, but there was one thing he knew for sure. He wanted Bella.

"Okay, Sam."

**~LotR~**

Jacob and Bella were trotting home on their horses and it was silent. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence. It was never uncomfortable with them. It was always perfect.

"Bella, I need to talk to you." She looked at him confused, but gave him a smile. He could see that Sam was right about one thing. She would look at him a lot longer than a moment.

"What is it?" He sighed and stopped his horse. He got down off his horse and Bella stopped, following suit.

"I've never done this before so I'm a little nervous, okay?" She nodded and crossed her arms, standing in front of her.

"Okay" was all she could say. He looked to her. She looked a little scared, but not by much. She was scared. She was scared he was going to say that he had to leave already. He was already her best friend.

She was happy every morning to wake up because she knew she was going to see Jacob. She loved his smile, his laughter, and his radiant personality.

He stepped forward before he lost and his nerve and kissed her. Her eyes widened in shock as his hands came up and held her face to his.

**Thanks for reading! Please leave some feedback!**


	4. Author's note

With much thought and considering the content of my stories, I am getting ready to pull my stories from FFn and post on my own site called Wolf Girls United. If anyone would like a link, please leave a review with your email address or you can type in the name wolfgirlsunited and then put a period and then type in ning and then the period and then the com. Thanks for reading me here and showing me love and support,

Sasha


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